


Lost Hope

by SirenAlpha



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:35:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28064040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirenAlpha/pseuds/SirenAlpha
Summary: “It could be Zuko,” Katara suggests as she rolls onto her side. “We haven't seen him since the North Pole.”“Who's Zuko?” Toph asks.“Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world,” Sokka says, trying to be lighthearted through his exhaustion.“You don’t mean Zuko as in Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, do you?” Toph asks.Because if a random man in a backwater town knows the story, why wouldn't Toph?
Comments: 26
Kudos: 627





	Lost Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I read too many Gaang learns how Zuko got the scar fics and none of them did this so I did it. This is a universe where they had a couple more minutes to talk before Azula showed up in a tank again.

“Come on guys,” Aang says in aggravation. “There's something after us, and we don't even know what or who it is.”

“It could be Zuko,” Katara suggests as she rolls onto her side. “We haven't seen him since the North Pole.”

“Who's Zuko?” Toph asks.

“Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world,” Sokka says, trying to be lighthearted through his exhaustion.

Katara lifts herself up to look over her shoulder at Sokka, “What's wrong with ponytails, Ponytail?”

Sokka points to his hair without raising his head, “This is a warrior's wolf tail.”

“Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky,” she snarks before flopping back down to her sleeping bag.

“You don’t mean Zuko as in Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, do you?” Toph asks. Katara frowns because she may have only known Toph for like a day, but this seems like a way too cautious tone of voice for her.

“Yeah, that’s him,” Aang says. “Who else is named Zuko?”

“Do you know how many kids got named Kuei after the Earth King?” Toph asks, back to her more irritated tone. “I’m sure there used to be plenty of kids named Zuko.”

“Used to be?” Sokka asks, sounding suspicious. “They all get wiped out or something?”

“No, they would have just changed it,” Toph says with a huff. “Don’t you guys know anything?”

“Sure, but not anything about how the Fire Nation names kids,” Aang says. “Why would they change their names?”

“Because it’s not an auspicious name any more, obviously,” she says. “Anyways, if it’s really him, I’m not going to fight him.”

“What do you mean you’re not going to fight him?” Sokka asks. “Why’d we even bring you then?”

“I’m here to teach Aang,” Toph says, “Besides, Zuko’s a kid.”

“No, he isn’t,” Katara says. “Maybe he’s not an adult, but he’s older than all of us.”

“He’s also a Fire Nation prince out to capture Aang,” Sokka says. “You’ll have to fight him if you want to get away.”

“No,” she says, more firmly. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

“He started it,” Sokka retorts.

“No, he didn’t,” she snaps.

“Toph,” Katara says, tried of this argument. “He’s the enemy.”

“No, he’s not. He’s banished, and he can’t go back, so he’s not Fire Nation,” Toph says, smacking her hand on the ground like she’d given the final word.

“He’s banished?” Aang asks, concern in his tone.

Katara knows banishment in the Southern Water Tribe essentially means death. Zuko wasn’t dead so it couldn’t be as bad in the Fire Nation. He was still working for the Fire Lord by chasing down Aang, wasn’t he?

“How do you not know?” she asks, somewhere between surprised and condescending.

“I was in an iceberg until a couple of months ago,” Aang says.

“The South Pole doesn’t get a lot of news any more,” Sokka adds.

“So, you have no idea what happened?” she asks, aggression leaving her tone. “You don’t know anything at all?”

“The last word we got was Fire Lord Ozai coming to power,” Katara explains. “It’s part of why dad and the rest of the men left. They thought things could be different under a new Fire Lord. Once they left, no one really felt the need to send us any information.”

“Yeah, it’s different under Ozai alright, but not in a good way,” Toph says. “Zuko’s the reason we lost hope.”

“What do you mean?” Aang asks.

“We thought Ozai would be better than his brother Iroh. His brother nearly brought down Ba Sing Se, but Ozai’s never been in the military. A lot of the raiding stopped after he became Fire Lord. We thought things were going to be better.”

She pauses.

“What happened with Zuko?” Aang asks cautiously.

“I don’t know why, everyone says a different reason,” Toph says quietly. “But Ozai burned and banished Zuko three years ago, some even say he did it in front of the whole court. It was really bad when we got the news. If that’s how Ozai treats his son and heir, what was he going to do to the rest of us? I heard the battles got worse after that, too, more destruction and burning.”

Katara sits there, imagining Zuko’s face perfectly in her minds eye. She hadn’t thought about what a scar like that meant. It had just been a part of his face. She hadn’t thought about what it would take to burn a firebender. She hadn’t thought about who would have access to even attempt to hurt a prince. She hadn’t really considered that his scar had once been a fresh burn.

She asks with a sinking heart, “Fire Lord Ozai did that to him?”

Toph nods. “I guess if you’ve seen it that means the rumors were true.”

“What rumors?” Sokka asks.

“That Ozai burned Zuko’s face so he couldn’t hide it.” 

Katara feels sick.

“Yeah, it’s on his face,” Aang confirms unhappily.

No one can say anymore on it as the thing that’s after them appears again. They make an attempt at a stand before flying off again. Katara picks a fight with Toph that Aang carries on, and Toph leaves. They wash Appa and separate, Katara and Sokka going one direction as Aang goes another. Katara and Sokka lose to the two girls, but Appa rescues them with some well timed airbending. They fly to meet Aang, finding him trapped under debris, surrounded by fire, and the lead girl advancing on him. Katara stops her with water, breaks the beam trapping Aang, then bolts for safety. Katara works with Aang and Sokka to corner the girl, with Toph reappearing to help.

Then somehow, Zuko and his uncle are there, but they’re also facing down the girl and backing her into a corner. His scar is towards her.

It hurts to look at.

**Author's Note:**

> A random guy in the middle of nowhere Earth Kingdom implies to me that Zuko getting burned and banished was important enough news that it spread that far. Toph has rich noble parents. They're going to know what happens politically in the Fire Nation because it affects them. Toph would probably be able to overhear it even if they try to keep it from her. I think Ozai's treatment of Zuko really could be seen as a harbinger of what to come because he does ultimately plan to burn down the Earth Kingdom with the comet. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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